Monster movie
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A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally large ones. The film may also fall under the horror, comedy, fantasy, or science fiction genres. Monster movies originated with adaptations of horror folklore and literature.
Traditional concepts
The most common aspect of a monster movie is the struggle between a human collective of protagonists against one or more monsters, who often serve as the antagonistic force. In
The monster is often created by a folly of mankind – an experiment gone wrong, the effects of radiation or the destruction of habitat. Or the monster is from outer space, has been on Earth for a long time with no one ever seeing it, or released (or awakened) from a prison of some sort where it was being held.
The monster is usually a villain, but can be a metaphor of humankind's continuous destruction; giant monsters since the introduction of
The attempts of the humans to destroy the monster would at first be the usage of an opposing military force – an attempt that would antagonize the monster even more and prove useless (a cliché associated with the genre). The Godzilla series utilized the concept of a superweapon built by Japanese scientists to suppress him or any of the monsters he fights.
Historically, monsters have been depicted using stop motion animation, puppets, or creature suits. In the modern day, many monster movies have used CGI monsters.
History
Early monster films (1915–1954)
The first feature-length films to include what are regarded as monsters were often classed as horror or science fiction films. The 1915 German
Special effects animator
King Kong went on to inspire many other films of its genre and aspiring animators. A notable example was
Kaiju era (1954–1975)
During the 1950s, Japanese film studio Toho produce their first successful kaiju films. Their first successful kaiju film was Godzilla (1954), which adapted the nuclear concept from The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms from a Japanese perspective, rooted in real-life Japanese historical events, such as the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 and the Daigo Fukuryū Maru incident in 1954.[5][6] The film's success spawned the Godzilla franchise, the longest-running film franchise in history. The titular monster has become a cultural icon, and one of the most recognizable monsters in cinema history. It also inspired a wave of kaiju films, such as Rodan from this time.
Godzilla, King of the Monsters! (1956), a re-edited Americanized version of Godzilla for the North American market, notably inspired Steven Spielberg when he was a youth. He described Godzilla as "the most masterful of all the dinosaur movies" because "it made you believe it was really happening."[7]
A parallel development during this era was the rise of the Z movie, films made outside the organized motion picture industry with ultra-low budgets. Grade-Z monster movies such as Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) and The Creeping Terror (1964) are often listed among the worst films ever made because of their inept acting and amateurish special effects.
After 1960, American monster movies were less popular, yet were still produced. However, Japanese kaiju films were popular during this decade. In 1962,
Ray Harryhausen continued to work on a number of films such as The Valley of Gwangi (1969), while Toho continued production of Godzilla and other kaiju films like Mothra (1961).
Spielberg era (1975–1998)
In 1975, Steven Spielberg directed
Since the mid-1970s, with
1993 saw the release of Jurassic Park, based on the 1990 novel of the same name by Michael Crichton and directed by Steven Spielberg, which set a new benchmark in the genre with innovative use of CGI and tried-and-tested animatronics to recreate dinosaurs. The film was also influenced by Godzilla.[7] Jurassic Park was an enormous critical and commercial success and at one point held the title of the highest-grossing film of all time.
The success of Jurassic Park and its five sequels,
Modern era (1998–present)
Traditional monster movies re-emerged to a wider audience during the late 1990s. An American
The 2008 monster movie, Cloverfield, a story in the vein of classic monster movies, focuses entirely on the perspective and reactions of the human cast and is regarded by some as a look at terrorism and the September 11 attacks metaphorically.[12] The following year The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep (2007) was released, in which the legendary Loch Ness Monster is portrayed as a playful creature menaced by overly aggressive humans. The British Independent Film Award-winning film Monsters, in a manner similar to Cloverfield, presented the story of a monster epidemic from the perspective of the humans affected by it. Although not entirely focused on monsters, blockbusters such as The Avengers and Prometheus included scenes that featured monsters posing threats to the protagonists.
In 2013,
In 2014, Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures released Godzilla, a reboot of the Godzilla franchise directed by Gareth Edwards. Legendary originally intended to produce a trilogy with Edwards attached to direct all films.[13] Shortly afterwards, Legendary announced a shared cinematic universe between Godzilla and King Kong, titled MonsterVerse.[14] Two years later in 2016, Toho rebooted the Godzilla franchise with Shin Godzilla.[15] Kong: Skull Island was released in March 2017, a reboot of the King Kong franchise and second film in Legendary's MonsterVerse. The third film in the MonsterVerse, Godzilla: King of the Monsters was released on May 31, 2019. Michael Dougherty directed the film and featured Rodan, Mothra, and King Ghidorah.[16] The fourth film in the MonsterVerse, Godzilla vs. Kong, directed by Adam Wingard,[17] was released on March 31, 2021.[18]
See also
- B movie
- List of monster movies
- List of natural horror films
- List of films featuring giant monsters
- Kaiju
- Zombie film
References
- ^ Stephen Jones (1995). The Illustrated Dinosaur Movie Guide. Titan Books. p. 26.
- ^ Stephen Jones (1995). The Illustrated Dinosaur Movie Guide. Titan Books. pp. 24–25.
- ^ a b "Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection – Interview". Retrieved 2008-02-09.
- ^ Stephen Jones (1995). The Illustrated Dinosaur Movie Guide. Titan Books. p. 42.
- ^ Robert Hood. "A Potted History of Godzilla". Retrieved 2008-02-09.
- ^ "Gojira / Godzilla (1954) Synopsis". Archived from the original on 2007-12-24. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
- ^ ISBN 9781550223484.
- ^ Kogan, Rick (September 15, 1985). "'It Was A Long Time Coming, But Godzilla, This Is Your Life". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
- ISBN 9780753505564.
- ^ "Little pictures have a big year", Los Angeles Times, 3 January 2003
- ^ Kevin O'Donovan (2007-10-07). "The Host: Monster Movie with a Message at cinekklesia". Archived from the original on 2007-12-08. Retrieved 2008-02-09.
- ^ Chris Haire (2008-01-23). "The 9/11 porn of Cloverfield". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved 2008-05-11.
- ^ Kit, Borys (May 22, 2014). "'Star Wars' Spinoff Hires 'Godzilla' Director Gareth Edwards (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 6, 2017.
- ^ "Legendary and Warner Bros. Pictures Announce Cinematic Franchise Uniting Godzilla, King Kong and Other Iconic Giant Monsters" (Press release). Legendary Pictures. October 14, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
- ^ "Toho Announces New Japanese Godzilla Flick for 2016". Dread Central. 2014-12-08. Retrieved 2022-03-08.
- ^ "Warner Bros. Pictures' and Legendary Pictures' MonsterVerse Kicks Into Gear as the Next Godzilla Feature Gets Underway" (Press release). June 19, 2017.
- ^ Kit, Borys (May 30, 2017). "'Godzilla vs. Kong' Finds Its Director With Adam Wingard (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ^ Busch, Jenna (May 3, 2017). "Godzilla vs. Kong and More Release Date Changes From Warner Bros". Coming Soon. Retrieved May 3, 2017.